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PotterCast5

PotterCast Episode 52 (August 2006)

SU: I have to… I promised everyone that I would ask this, so please forgive me, but, everyone…ever since we did get to see the clip of you in the…at the Queen’s play – the little skit thing – and this is just… We were talking about differences with, like, a new director and new screenwriter.

MA: Oh, no. Here we go… (laughs)

SU: …I know, I’m sorry…

MA: …I’m waiting for it.

SU: …I’m going to be the one to ask…

MA: Yeah.

SU: …you know…

JN: Yeah.

SU: Neville was sportin’ a new hair style and a new look. (ML laughs) Do you have any input into that or, I mean, how, (laughs) I’m sorry, I was told just to ask about your hair. Sorry (ML and SU laugh), it’s the dreaded hair question.

Matt Lewis (ML): Well, I think I probably would have been allowed input, (SU: Yeah.) but it was a new hairdresser…

SU: Okay.

ML: …who’d come in to do the hair. New for this year…

JN: Mm-hm.

ML: …and he sort of had a definite idea of what he was going to do. So, I thought, you know, let’s see what he does, you know, let’s just see it (SU laughs). And he cut it and at first I was…

SU: Yeah.

ML: …horrified (JN and SU laugh) ’cause not only had my lovely, lovely long hair gone, but (MA laughs) it was just horrible…

SU: Yeah.

ML: …I mean it was the worst hair. It was the worst thing he could possibly have done without giving me…

ML: …so they could all look it over and they just sort of, they were all smiley and nodding and saying how perfect it was and I was just like, (SU laughs) you know, I hate to admit it because I’m going to have to have this hair for nine months or whatever, but…

JN: Oh, you’re keeping that hair?

ML: …it is perfect for the character. (SU groans)

JN: So, that will be the hair? (SU groans)

ML: Yup, that’s, that’s…

JN: There you go that’s the answer to the question…

ML: That is the hair.

SU: There we go.

JN: …we’ve all been wanting to know.

SU: That’s the hair.

MA: That’s the hair. (SU: Oh, man.)

JN: That’s the hair. (ML: Oh my.)

MA: It is very (ML: I would tend to agree.) Neville, though.

ML: I think that it suits the character really well. (MA: Yeah.) And it really, really, pains me to say it, (MA laughs) but yeah it does suit him well. (JN laughs)

MA: It’s sort of like his grandmother’s been doing his hair for all these years and he’s just starting to try it on his own.

JN:(laughing) And that’s what he (ML: Yeah exactly…) comes up with.

SU:(laughing) Yeah.

ML: …that was the idea, you know. (JN: That’s a good one.) He’s trying to be smart and a bit cool, but it just come out like a greasy kind of mess…

MA:(laughs) Oh, oh, aww. (JN laughs)

ML: …it’s just too straight. It’s too nice, it’s just…

JN: I can totally…

ML: …not cool.

JN: …see you as soon as the shooting’s done just ruffling it up real quick before you go out and do anything else.

ML: Yeah, soon as you hear, “That’s a wrap,” I just, my hands straight in my hair and mess it all up. (JN, MA, and SU laugh) (MA: You’re going to be…) And as soon as we’re done filming I’m going for a jar head…

SU: Yeah.

ML: …hair comb and shave it all off.

MA: I was just going to say.

(MA, SU, and JN laugh.)

MA: Going all jar head on us.

SU: Awesome.

ML: Yeah.

MA: We want a picture. (laughs)

ML: Well, going out when I come home for the weekends it’s still the same length I may not have it in that particular style, but you try combing your hair like that and see what could do with it.

MA: You’re going to get a lot of hats at Leavesden, I’m telling you (ML laugh). We’ll put the address in the show notes. (MA and SU laugh)

JN: Yeah.

ML: Well, just to say, as much as I despise the hair, he’s done – Colin the hairdresser – has done an incredible job at getting it to fit the character and it really does. He’s really honestly thought about it and, Colin if you hear this, it’s honestly not your hairdressing I have a problem with.

SU and JN: Yeah.

MA: So, once you have…

ML: You know…

MA and SU: Yes.

ML: …it’s just not me basically.

JN: Yeah.

JN: I’d love to see a little scene walking into the boys room…

MA: Aw, oh.

JN: …and you see Neville combing his hair while the other action’s going on…

MA: Trying to get it right. (laughs)

JN: …in the scene that would be a hilarious throw-away scene, but…

(ML laughs)

JN: …I don’t know if we’ll get that though. It would be a hilarious suggestion. (ML laughs)

MA: When something like that happens, when you have a hair change or a costume change or, you know, everything’s sort of becomes more Neville-ish as you go on, how does that affect your performance? I mean, when you practice, you rehearse, you think about Neville, how is it different when you’re on set, when you’re in costume?

ML: When, for example, we come into the studio and we’re going to line up in our own clothes before we even have breakfast or something we’re going straight down to line up the shot. I tend to just say it really. I don’t put a whole deal of effort in it, I just sort of say it and I say it as me, you know what I mean? But, then as soon as I change and get the hair and the fat suit on and those horrible clothes it’s just so much easier to get into the character. It’s like, you’re Neville. There’s no getting away from it. Every mirror you look into you’re Neville and this costume, hair and makeup, everything is just so perfect to get into the characters, who they are in the books, it makes my job a lot easier, because I can totally see myself as being that character.

JN: Did I hear you say fat suit?

MA: Yeah.

ML:(laughs) Yes, actually.

JN: Does that mean something else in…

MA: No.

JN: …over there than it does over here? Or, is he actually having you wear a fat suit?

ML: I don’t think so. It’s just a suit that simulates fat. (MA and JN laugh)

JN: Well, (laughs) holy crud.

MA: It’s not extreme though, you don’t look chubby in the movies. It’s like a little extra something.

ML: It sort of fluctuates. (JN laughs) They swear to me it’s the same one, but it gets bigger and smaller.

JN: Of course…

MA: Neville’s doing the Atkin’s diet.

JN: …the magic of movie making.

SU: Yeah.

MA: Yeah.

JN: We’re going to have the people online saying, “In this scene Neville looked like he weighed this much, but in this scene…

(SU and ML laugh)

JN: …we’re going to be nitpicking.

ML: Oh, please, please don’t do that. (JN and MA laugh)

MA: There you go. A request from Matt.

JN: Yeah. Please, just leave it alone.

ML: Yeah.

JN: It’s not his fault.

ML: Don’t call that.

SU: I was just gonna ask, are you having fun though with this shoot at all? I mean know that the script at the end is very serious but are you having fun so far? Are you just enjoying it?

ML: Yeah. I’m just in mourning about the hair, the (SU: Yeah.) clothes, the fat suit.

SU: Yeah. (SU and JN laugh)

ML: Everything about it is so horrible. No, no. I actually really enjoy it. I do love it a lot. I mean, everyone there’s just so much fun. I don’t know how we get any work done we mess around so much.

SU: Yeah.

ML: The laughter that goes on in the set, I don’t know how we get any films out at all. But, yeah, it’s a lot of fun. And I’m not not enjoying it yet. No. Wait a minute. I’m not… Yeah, I was right. I was right the first time.

MA: Yes.

SU: Yeah.

ML: I’m not enjoying it yet. (MA laughs)

JN: Good.

MA: I remember… Speaking of fooling around, I remember when we asked you guys to do… You and Devon and Jamie to do… Just to say “Give a galleon.”

MA: Wait, just to reference if people don’t know. For our second “Get a Clue” drive – our charity drive we do on Leaky – we asked Matt and Devon and Jamie to say… It was our tag line “Give a galleon.” And their parents videotaped them doing this and it took like thirty-five shots! And instead of putting just the one video up, we made like a montage video that is still available on Leaky.

ML: So now you appreciate how I’m confused (MA and SU laugh) as to how we get any work done. (JN laughs) I mean, that’s what it’s like on the set. We just…

MA: That was…

JN: I imagine it’s got to be so much different now that you guys are so older. I mean, you said how… You know, A: That the scripts look like they’re a little more complicated. Probably mostly because they know you can handle it now. You guys have had so much more experience with it and things. And then, you also say how everybody’s getting along better. Everybody’s older. And ya know, when I was eleven, twelve and all that, for these first few movies, ya know I didn’t go out really with friends…after things. I wasn’t quite the age yet. And now, you’re kind of the age when you’re gonna go out and hang out. So, I imagine it’s probably a lot more fun this time around.

ML: Exactly. Yeah. No. Totally. You’re absolutely right. I mean, that spending time with each other outside the filming just gives you more things to laugh about which I’m sure the crew aren’t happy about.

SU: Yeah. (laughs)

ML: Yeah. (SU laugh) It’s funny.

JN: Oh, do they let you out? You know, when you’re not shooting, do they keep a pretty tight leash on you, guys? Or is there much to do around Leavesden and all that? Is it… Like for fun.

ML: Actually, there’s not a really great deal of things to do, to be honest. I mean, my hotel is actually in Saint Albans, because I live in Leeds, so I stay in a hotel.

JN: Mm-hm.

ML: Most people go back to their homes in London, but Rupert doesn’t live too far from my hotel and James and Oliver Phelps – play the Weasley twins – also stay at my hotel. So, I went to the cinema with Oli and Rupert a couple of months ago…

JN: That’s cool.

ML: …which is cool. And, um, yeah we just… Sometimes we just go out and go do something like go see a band or something…

JN: How does that work when you take three redheads, two of them twins, and yourself out to the cinema and not get mobbed by everybody that’s ever seen a Harry Potter movie before?

ML: Yeah, you know, I can get away with it. I sort of just stand two yards away from (SU and JN laugh) those three…

JN: Well, I imagine they’re doomed. They’re doomed though. You can’t…

ML: That one trip…

JN: You can’t look like that…

ML: That one trip was strange, I mean… You saw people… You can always see like people looking at those three because they are like beacons (JN laugh) drawing attention.

SU: Yeah.

JN: They have no chance.

ML: They couldn’t stand out any more being identical twins in ginger hair. And there was Rupert, as well. It just topped it off.

JN: Yeah.

ML: But, no, that trip was all right, I’d say. I don’t think we got stopped…

SU: You know what is so cool about you, Matt? I like that you go out and you do these things with…

JN: Awesome.

SU: …both at the premieres and you go to events. And you have such great patience and you go out and you talk to the fans that show up for these things so… I mean, you’re saying you really didn’t recognized but that’s one thing I’ve noticed about you and some of the other… It’s all the time you spend with the people that come up to you, it’s just phenomenal. You really enjoy that. You actually genuinely seem to enjoy meeting people like that.

ML: Absolutely. You know it’s just um… Well, for a start, you know, it’s all these people turning out to see you. It’s like the greatest thing ever. Imagine the greatest thing, or the greatest thing you can think of. And then… It’s just times it by ten, because these people have come enormous… I mean some people at the New York premiere were coming from Texas (SU: Mm-hm.) or whatever were driving all night and all day to get to, where? To New York just to (SU: Yeah.) see you.

JN: Yeah.

ML: Not even to see your film. Just to see you walk out of the car and walk into the building. And it’s just… Wow! You know? I mean, that’s dedication. And (JN: Oh…) really, you know… I’ve always had this kind of philosophy that you might be getting paid by a film company and it might be all about box office and things, but really at the end of the day, no film is anything without its fans. I mean, you take the big actors out and you take out special effects but it’s still a film as long as it’s got fans. And to not then spend time with these people who do (SU: Mm-hm.) make you famous… Who do at the end of the day pay your wages, that’s just spitting in their faces almost like saying, “Yeah, I’m gonna make this film and you’re gonna go to the cinema and see it and you’re gonna pay me for it and you’re going to give me all this fame by going to see the film, but I don’t care, I’m not going to come speak to you or anything like that. Because they make you, if they don’t want to see you, if don’t like you, (JN: Yeah.) they can just suddenly change like that and you’re not famous any more.

JN: Sure.

ML: But the people are just so interesting. To me all these people that have come all this way and all have incredible stories and I just (SU: Yeah.) love doing it. It’s just so cool. (chuckles) It makes me feel wanted as well (SU and JN: Yeah.) at the end of the day which is nice.

JN: I hope you’re prepared because from the looks of it, it looks like you’re about to get up (SU laughs) to the level of attention that the trio have been getting…

SU: Yes.

JN: …this whole time. You’re going to be right in the thick of it now.

ML: Well, I look forward to it. Come over and say hi.

JN: Well, that’s awesome. Well, hopefully you’re not going to be too famous to talk to us once this movie comes out. When you’re…

ML: If I do, you have permission to come over, play this to me and then hit me (SU laughs) with the tape recorder.

(MA laughs)

JN: We’ll take your hat off (MA: Excellent.) and smack you with it.

ML: Yeah and then I will have the embarrassment of showing (JN laughs) my hair off and also being hit with a hat.

MA: (laughing) And we’re going to put it on the (SU: Yeah, that’s it.) main site at Leaky.

ML: Yeah, right. It’s a deal. It’s a deal.

MA: Last time we spoke, you gave us a little practice of how you were going to do the broken nose scenes and we were talking about how hard that’s going to do and how they are going to do it. It came to me like an hour after that they could just stick something in your nose, you know, to block off your nose while you’re filming, so has there been any discussion about how you’re going to do your broken nose bits?

ML: Not yet. No. I’m still kind of in the dark about that one. I don’t know what they’re going to do. Have to improvise I suppose. Unless they have got something planned which would be nice, but I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see.

MA: Have you practiced this at all?

ML: No, I haven’t actually.

MA: Anymore.

ML: (laughs) I probably should just in case they have nothing up their sleeve.

JN: He’s a pro.

ML: I should probably get to work on that.

MA: Yeah. He’s a pro.

ML: I’ll do it on the day. You know how that is.

MA: It was a little… (laughs) You show up and you…

ML: (laughs) No, it’s really not like that at all. Honestly. (MA and JN laugh) If it was like that, then I would really get nothing done.

JN: Yeah, you… (laughs)

MA: We hear ya.

JN: …learn your lines the day of.

MA: We’re really glad to hear all this conversation about the fans and how willing you are to talk to them, because we ran a little promotion on Leaky where we said if you leave us your voice mail with your numbers and if you have a good question for Matt, we will call you and put you on the phone with Matt, so are you ready to talk with some fans?

ML: Yeah, absolutely.

JN: Awesome.

MA: Cool. Rock on.

Sarah: Hello!

MA: Hey, how are you?

Sarah: Oh, my God! Are you serious?

MA: No, yeah this is Melissa and John and (SU: Hi!) Sue and Matt Lewis.

Sarah: My question… Well I wanted to know if because you’re like such a famous actory for the Harry Potter movies, if they asked if you wanted to read Book Seven ahead of time, would you say yes or no?

ML: Yeah, I mean who wouldn’t. (ML, JN, and SU laugh)

JN: Why not?

ML: If they came up to me now and said, “Hey, you want to read the book now?” I would be like,”Yeah.” I’d tear their hand off, but…

MA: (laughs) “I’d tear their hand off.”

ML: But I don’t think it’s going to happen unfortunately.

Sarah: Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. ‘Cause I had this really weird dream where I got this chance to do it, but then I woke up and I was really mad at myself for doing it because I didn’t get to go to the cool parties. So, I don’t know. So, I think now if I got the chance I would wait.

ML: Really?

Sarah: Yeah.

JN: Have you been to a party before Matt, for a book release?

ML: Me? I went to… Yeah. I went to a – but it wasn’t a Harry Potter – I went to a Darren Shan book release. I don’t know if you know Darren Shan. (MA: Yeah. Mm-hm.) He’s kind of big over here.

MA: He’s getting big over here too.

ML: I love his books. I went to one of his book releases which was cool, but no I have never been to a Harry Potter book release.

JN: I guess that would be kind of hard for you. You’d really have to go in costume or something. You could go as Hagrid dressed up with the Hagrid mask (SU laughs) and nobody would know who the hell you were.

ML: Yeah.

SU: (laughing) No.

MA: But you once did go to a big event. We took you to… Sorry Matt. We took you to the IMAX screening in New York.

SU: Oh, that’s right. Yes.

MA: That was like a party.

ML: Yeah, that was cool. I enjoyed that.

MA: It was crazy. We couldn’t get you out of the place.

JN: (laughs) Awesome. Well, thank you Sarah. (MA: Thanks Sarah!) Let’s try to see if anyone else is at home.

Sarah: Bye.

SU: Bye.

ML: Bye. See you later.

MA and JN: Hello.

Katie: Hello.

MA: Katie?

Katie: Yeah.

MA: Hey, this is Melissa.

Katie: Hi, how are you?

MA: You’re on with John and Sue and Mr. Matt Lewis.

Katie: Hey, nice…

SU: Hi.

JN: Hi.

Katie: I didn’t think you would ever call.

SU: Oh, why not?

(Katie laughs)

MA: So how are you doing today and what’s your question for Matt?

Katie: Well, I was wondering about if he ever gets frustrated about the script being changed…

(ML chuckles)

Katie: …from the book? I mean obviously you can’t say, “Yeah, it makes me mad,” you know, but does it ever get frustrating?

ML: You mean like with things being cut out of it, in that kind of respect?

Katie: Right. Because you’re a fan of the books, so, you know a lot more than what’s in the script, you know.

ML: Well, yeah, there are times when I think, “Oh great, yeah, they’ve put that scene in, that’s really cool.” And then you’ll get a script revision like a week later and it’s been taken out. And I do, you know, obviously as a fan I really do start to think, “Wow, that would have been great in the film. You know, they should really think about putting that back in.” But then you sort… You have to think of the immense pressures that the writers are under.

Katie: Right. Absolutely. That’s a different thing altogether, I guess.

ML: Yeah, I mean they do cut a lot of stuff out and they do get quite a roasting for it sometimes, but at the end of the day you have to think, “Well, could I sort of put a massive three-inch book into a three hour film?”

ML: Yeah. (laughs) You want to see me attempt it? I will adapt Harry Potter Five(MA laughs) and send it to you.

MA: Harry Potter Five, awesome!

ML: It will be word for word, just ripped it off and taken rubbish bits out.

MA: And it will be (JN: There you go.) eighteen hours long!

ML: Yeah, that’s right. That’s how long it will be.

Katie: Do you or any of the cast ever try to like stick other things in there, or just subtle things you could put in there, like that you’ve read in the books?

ML: I mean, I try include some things, but not so much in a line or whatever, but I sort of say…

Katie: Right.

ML: …if David sort of said to me, “How do you think he’d say this?” “Well, although it’s not in the film, in the book he did this, so maybe might sort of have this kind of way to say it, or this kind of feeling about it.” And something like that. It just helps to have read the books, because the things that might influence what you say later on might not necessarily be in the script. So it’s good to have kind of almost inside knowledge about the character.

Katie: Well, cool. I personally think it’s awesome that you’ve read the books, and – as many people who have read the books – I think that’s really important for the fans. So, I want to thank you.

ML: I was a fan before the films, you know? (laughs) So yeah, don’t thank me!

MA: Katie, thank you!

Katie: Well, thank you, thanks for calling!

ML: Thanks very much. Cheers!

Katie: All right, talk to you later!

ML: Bye.

MA: Matt, did you hear about this? Well, probably not, but Matt, there’s a band now called “Melissa and the Anellis”. (ML laughs)

SU: Seriously. (MA: I swear). Her fan club started a rock group. (laughs)

JN: Yeah.

ML: That’s fantastic. (MA laughs)

JN: Yeah, he was talking about how nice he says it feels to have people fly out to see ya and things, and I’m grinning just because you know, to a very, very, very smaller extent, that’s like – we’re talking percentage points here – we’ve had people who are fans of listening to PotterCast (MA: (laughs) Right!) when we hear them being excited to talk to us…

ML: No, not yet. I saw his photograph up on the assistant director’s wall the other day. I haven’t met him, no.

SU: Wow.

Elizabeth: Hello?

SU: Hello!

ML: Hello?

Elizabeth: Hello?

JN: Hello, who’s this?

Elizabeth: Hello?

MA: Hi, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth: Hello? Who’s this?

JN: Hi, you’re on PotterCast with Matt Lewis.

Elizabeth: Oh, awesome!

SU: Seriously, yeah! (Elizabeth laughs)

ML: How are you doing?

Elizabeth: I’m doing well, how are you?

ML: Cool, yeah, good, thank you.

Elizabeth: I was wondering, Matt, after Harry Potter if you were planning on continuing acting, or if you think this is going to be, this is going to be it?

ML: Wow, to be honest, I’ve not thought enough about it, actually. I think what I’m going to do is, I take my A2s next year, which is the final year of high school.

Elizabeth: Mm-hm.

ML: I mean, I finished high school like a year ago, but I took the optional extra two years, and then it’s the final year of that next year. Once I get that out of the way. And then hopefully, if I do well, which I’m kind of hoping to do, I can go to university. And I’ll probably take a gap year, finish off the Harry Potter stuff, and then go to university after the gap year. And then after uni, see if I can get back into it again, actually. Hopefully, well, I mean hopefully. I guess so. I’m not actually gone yet. Maybe if I go to uni and sort of think, “Well, actually, I want to become a police officer” or whatever, I don’t know. I might do that, but…

MA: (laughs) Neville directing traffic in the middle…

JN: That’d be awesome!

(Elizabeth laughs)

JN: Neville arresting somebody…

Elizabeth: That’d be so fun!

MA: Neville arresting somebody!

JN: …can you imagine?

Elizabeth: What would be great, is if you were like arresting somebody, and they were like, “Hang on, were you in a movie at some point?”

ML: That would be (SU laughs) the most embarrassing thing, you’d just have no authority whatsoever.